Posts Tagged ‘Louisiana’

The Terrebonne Parish Library has seen some tough times the past few years. Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike have all been unwelcome visitors to the community the library serves, and each year, Terrebonne comes back, a bit shaken, but strong.

We were so delighted to hear from Lauren Ledet once again, proof that her community and her library can overcome, can unite, and can persevere again and again. I’ve said it many times before: Welcome back, Terrebonne, we’re glad you’re safe.

Here’s Lauren’s report:

Hi friends,

After the last two weeks, Terrebonne has finally gotten back on its feet and is ready to (partially-fully) participate in the September Project.

Much like the 2005 hurricane season featuring Katrina and Rita, Terrebonne Parish witnessed back-to-back hurricane’s that nearly devastated the parish. First, Gustav made a direct hit on our parish with the eye making landfall on our coast and basically traveling up the entire parish. Our damages were thankfully minor (trees, power lines, roofs, and the worst: no electricity for nearly two weeks).

Then, we dodged Ike’s direct hit, but were inundated by his storm surge. Over half our parish was underwater due to the storm surge caused by Ike. In some homes, the water level reached over five feet. Luckily, no libraries were directly affected by the storm surge. For Gustav, however, we did see windows blown out and roof damage to branches, and that eventually resulted in mold growth. That’s being dealt with currently. Of our nine branches, four are back up and running, one being our book mobile!

So, because of our shortage of branches and our reopening to the public only this week, we are really having a condensed version of the program this year. On September 28 the community band will play a patriotic concert at the Main Library. Other than that, we will have a display of photographs of the USS New York, built of scrap metal from the World Trade Center that was melted down in a foundry in Amite, Louisiana, about 100 miles from Houma. We had many things scheduled here (a voter registration drive, broadcasts of presidential debates, and library card sign ups with a diplomatic twist), but I think, for now, we’ll make do with our safety, our lives, and our libraries!

Lauren Ledet exclaimed–practically jumped off my computer screen–her declaration that yes, indeed Terrebonne Parish Library System (LA) will participate in their 3rd September Project! We’re excited to hear from her, and look forward to learning what her library has in store. Expect to see news of their event right here on the blog. We’re glad you’re back, Terrebonne!

What is it?

Since 2004, libraries across the world have organized events about freedom and issues that matter to their communities during the month of September. This grassroots project favors free over fee, public over private, and voices over silence.